Jack Mackenroth is at it again! After a successful record breaking online campaign to raise money for Housing Works during their annual Braking AIDS Ride from Boston to New York City, he is keeping true to what he knows works best...selfies.

For anyone under 30, it may be difficult to imagine a time when the gay-rights movement wasn't operating at a milestone-a-minute pace. Fortunately a wave of artistic and media projects has emerged to remind us of heroes past, to refocus us on the type of activism that helped elevate the LGBT movement and to inspire us to make that final push.

Most New Yorkers know Housing Works because their stores dot our city and offer up a treasure trove of donated merchandise. The infamous windows are immensely popular and the items featured in them are sold via online auction where they often spark bidding wars.

Growing up in the eighties, I remember the media coverage about this new disease. A few brave people around that time started speaking out against the marginalization of this epidemic, and soon activist groups were formed.

Anti-gay laws are sweeping across Africa, from Nigeria to Uganda. On Friday, as part of a Global Day of Action, hundreds of LGBT Africans and their allies protested in New York, encouraging Americans to get involved.

One of the most rewarding things about my job is being introduced and exposed to so many different charitable organizations. I have the privilege of learning about and participating in their inspiring work.